F1 News: Alpine Drops Bid To Equalize Engine Power After Losing Support From Rival Teams

Suggestions for a potential Formula 1 engine equalization plan, prompted by worries about the performance gap in the Renault/Alpine power unit compared to other manufacturers, have been scrapped, as per sources from Motorsport.com.

Alpine has supposedly withdrawn a series of proposed upgrades to its current engines since they did not receive full support from the rival teams, which led to an FIA assessment of the case being closed.

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It was reported by the same publication in July that the matter of engine equalization had been put forth before the F1 commission after the FIA analyzed the performance levels of the frozen power specifications, which indicated that Alpine Renault's engine was deficient in power by approximately 15-25Kw (20-33hp) when compared to its rivals Mercedes, Ferrari, and Honda.

Acknowledging the deficiency as a "notable performance gap," the FIA released a statement after the F1 commission met at the Belgian Grand Prix, where it stated that the commission “discussed ways to remedy this discrepancy” and that “the power unit manufacturers represented at the Commission agreed to give a mandate to the Power Unit Advisory Committee to consider this topic and bring proposals back to the Commission”.

This decision came after the FIA assessed engine performance levels in the initial half of the 2023 season, following the agreement made at the beginning of the current power unit rules cycle in 2022 that allowed the potential modification of engines this year. This was being done to avoid a major performance gap being locked for an extended period, as per the FIA statement.

However, for changes to occur in any engine, there needed to be a 'good faith' agreement, which was set up among all teams and engine builders back in 2021 when the engine freeze was initially decided.

Alpine Scraps Equalization Plan To Focus on 2026 Engine

Interim Alpine team principal Bruno Famin revealed at the Qatar Grand Prix last month that there had been no progress on the engine equalization plan, and for his team, “priority number one is to have a good 2026 power unit.”

However, it is now disclosed that Alpine has asked for the idea of making future changes to achieve engine equality across teams within the existing rules cycle to be dropped, and the FIA has agreed to this request.

Alpine has reportedly concluded that, as it didn't receive full support from other teams, despite the previous good faith understanding, it would be wise to channel any resources intended for enhancing its current engine towards the development of the new engine. Offering the latest update on the matter, Famin said:

“Following discussions with the FIA regarding engine equalisation, we, as a power unit manufacturer, actively made the decision not to take the matter further, making note of the positions held by the FIA and other power unit manufacturers.

“The topic of engine equalisation was initially brought forward by the FIA during the F1 Commission meeting in July, after which we reviewed what options we had and what performance upgrades could be made in line with the regulations and the gentlemen’s agreement between the PU manufacturers.

“We quickly reached the conclusion that it was not worth our time and effort.

“Moreover, for such a small performance gain, it would be a distraction in our efforts towards the development of the 2026 PU project.”

The proposal to officially cease the evaluation of engine parity is expected to be presented at the upcoming F1 Commission meeting during this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.